The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) Adolescent's Version in Turkey: Factor Structure, Reliability and Validity.

Researchers tested a Turkish version of an autism screening questionnaire for teenagers aged 11-18. They found it works very well at identifying autistic teens, with a score of 24 or higher correctly identifying autism in 97.5% of cases. The test is reliable and could help families and doctors screen for autism in Turkish-speaking communities.

This validation study examined the Turkish version of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) Adolescent scale among 400 participants aged 11-18, including 80 adolescents with Asperger syndrome/high-functioning autism, 71 with other psychiatric disorders, and 249 healthy controls. The Turkish AQ-Adolescent demonstrated strong psychometric properties with high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.829), excellent test-retest reliability, and a four-factor structure. A cut-off score of 24 showed exceptional diagnostic accuracy, distinguishing autism spectrum conditions from healthy controls with 97.5% sensitivity and 99.1% specificity. The scale also effectively differentiated between autism spectrum conditions and other psychiatric disorders, supporting its validity as a screening tool in Turkish adolescent populations.

The Turkish AQ-Adolescent provides a reliable, valid screening tool for autism in Turkish-speaking adolescents. The established cut-off score of 24 offers high diagnostic accuracy for clinical settings and could improve early identification and access to appropriate supports.

Study appears limited to validation rather than intervention research. Sample characteristics beyond age range and diagnostic groups are not detailed in the abstract. Generalizability beyond Turkish population unclear.

We assessed the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the autism spectrum quotient (AQ)-adolescent. Three assessment groups of adolescents, aged 11-18, were: 80 with Asperger syndrome/high-functioning autism (AS/HFA), 71 with other psychiatric disorders (PDs; 35 major depression, 18 obsessive-compulsive disorder, 18 social phobia), and 249 healthy controls. The scores of the AS/HFA group were significantly higher than the healthy control and PD groups. Cronbach α value was 0.829.

Ordinal alpha value was 0.90. We showed the AQ-adolescent four-factor structure in the factor analysis. In the test-retest of AQ-adolescent and subscale scores, "very strong" significant correlation values were detected. A cut-off score of 24 best distinguished the autism group from healthy controls with 0.975 sensitivity and 0.991 specificity.